Page 5 of Badd Ass

It wasn’t until I was walking past a docked cruise ship that I remembered why I was here: my best friend Claire was on a cruise that was docking here tomorrow morning—this morning, now, I suppose—and I’d come to Ketchikan to surprise her. Claire had recently taken a job in Seattle, leaving me behind in San Francisco. The bitch, she’d broken up the Gruesome Twosome. I hadn’t seen Claire in person in something like six months, although we spoke on the phone, texted, and emailed each other constantly. But digital communication just isn’t…the same.

Claire and I had been nurses together in the Army, assigned to the same unit right out of Basic. Our efficiency together as a team had earned us the nickname Gruesome Twosome, and we’d just kept using it. It was funny, too. Or well, ironic maybe, because we were both these short, good-looking blonde chicks, so the nickname seemed somewhat misplaced, unless you’d seen us in action, up to the elbows in gore.

Then, when we both took our papers at the same time, it just made sense for us to live together. And we had for several years. She’d found work in the tech industry doing something fancy with computers, because even though she was an experienced nurse she had no desire to keep doing it once she got out of the Army. I worked in the tech industry, too, although my job was in an HR department rather then working with the actual machines.

We had each other, we had our awesome apartment in the heart of downtown San Fran, we had our favorite bars…it was great.

And then Claire got the offer of a lifetime, doing what she’d been doing only getting paid double…in Seattle. Of course she had to take it, and I as her best friend had to support and encourage her decision to go to Seattle. Didn’t mean I had to like it, though.

My new roommate, who had taken over Claire’s bedroom,…sucked. Loud, annoying, she watched the stupidest shit on TV and she didn’t even likeThe Walking Dead, for fuck’s sake—and to top it off she was a shitty wing girl at the bar. She brought home annoying guys, too: grunty, weird, the kind who’d walk around naked making dicks jokes while I was getting ready for work. She ate my food and didn’t replace it, left her garbage everywhere, and made these stupid, obnoxious, yelping noises during sex. She sounded like a damn zebra.

So, when Claire forwarded her cruise itinerary—rubbing in my face that she couldafforda cruise—I’d decided it was high time I got some girl time with my bestie. I used my vacation days, packed some shit, and booked a flight to Ketchikan. I had a room at a B&B, and I’d checked in and left my stuff there last night before deciding to explore the city on foot.

Those explorations had led me to an awesome outdoor party, a wedding reception open to the public and put on by a local bar owner…which had led to a few drinks while people watching…which had led to someone shoutingmedic. It’s ingrained, at this point. Once a combat medic, always a combat medic. You hear that word…your training kicks in and you just go where you’re needed.

I’d found myself face to face with a mesmerizing pair of deep mahogany eyes, framed in the sexiest, handsomest face I’d ever seen. Which had turned out to be connected to the most amazing body I’d ever seen, and the most amazing cock I’d ever seen, which had led to the most amazing sex I’d ever had…

And walked away from.

It was for the best, though, I told myself when I finally I reached my B&B. He was clingy, following me out onto the street, practically begging me to come back for more sex.

I didn’t do clingy.

I hosed off in the shower when I got to my room and passed out, still naked and wet, on the bed, telling myself not to have any dirty dreams about Zane Badd.

You can guess how well that worked.

Chapter 2

Zane

Iclosedand locked the door to the bar behind me and stomped upstairs, resisting the temptation to grab a bottle of Jack on the way up; four in the morning was probably too early to start drinking.

Xavier was at the stove scrambling some eggs. “Got shot down, huh?”

“No, I didn’t get shot down, dipshit,” I snarled. “She just…had to go.”

Xavier nodded, pushing the eggs around the pan. “Sucks.”

“Yeah, well, what are you gonna do?” I sniffed. “Got any for me?”

Xavier ignored my question, but ended up answering it by divvying up the eggs onto two plates, with toast and bacon on the side. I poured us coffee and we sat down to eat.

After a few minutes of silence, Xavier glanced at me. “She was hot.”

I nodded. “Insanely hot.”

“Sounded like the sex was good, too.”

I frowned at him. “You’re a virgin, Xavier—how would you know?”

He smirked at me. “Well, correct me if I’m wrong, but three hours of screaming seems to indicate quality sexual relations.”

I snorted at him. “‘Quality sexual relations’ he says. Fuckin’ dork.” I chomped on a piece of bacon, and then sighed as I chewed. “But yes, it was the best sex I’ve ever had.”

“And you let her go?” he asked, his voice disapproving. “Have you learned nothing from our dear eldest brother?”

“It’s not that simple,” I said. “I wish it were.”